2.10.2008

I Am Legend (2007)

Another in a rash of apocalyptic films where salvation comes from the United States. Sorry, I'm cynical that way.

Will Smith plays a scientist who is immune to a virus that destroyed the majority of the planet by transforming its victims into nocturnal vampire-zombies. He's alone in New York City - and really this is the strength of the film - where he hunts deer and we see the infrastructure decaying under nature's clutches over the past three years. Much like 28 Days Later we see an empty city and this is very, very cool.

The film makers try to avoid heavy explanation time about what has happened to all the people by dropping hints with newspaper clippings all over Smith's flat. But in the end, they cannot resist and we get a run down of events.

I didn't particularly enjoy the film for it's super hero nature and the comic book nature of the villains. I Am Legend fails where 28 Days Later succeeds. We dwell on cool stuff like the solitude in the city far more than cultivating the protagonist's struggle - and maybe this is because there aren't many turns in the story to begin with.

Official Site | IMDB

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